US News

Suspect in Times Square bomb plot in custody (Roundup)

May 4, 2010, 17:29 GMT

FBI crime scene investigators remove evidence from a house in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA where Times Square car bomb suspect Faisal Shahzad lived, on 04 May 2010. EPA/MATTHEW CAVANAUGH

Washington - A suspect in the attempted car bombing of New York's Times Square was apprehended while leaving the country as authorities continued to investigate whether the Pakistani immigrant had ties to international terrorism, US officials said Tuesday.

Faisal Shahzad, a 30-year-old naturalized US citizen, was taken into custody late Monday while trying to fly from John F Kennedy International Airport in New York to Dubai. He is due to appear in court later Tuesday.

Authorities reportedly were searching the home of Shahzad and his family in Bridgeport, Connecticut. CNN reported authorities had found bomb-related materials and a handgun in a vehicle he drove to the airport.

Street vendors spotted a suspicious black SUV parked in Times Square Saturday and alerted police, who discovered a bomb that failed to detonate. US President Barack Obama and other officials have said the quick reaction by police could have saved hundreds of lives.

'This incident is another sobering reminder of the times in which we live,' Obama said Tuesday, praising the timely steps taken by law enforcement that 'may have saved hundreds of lives.'

An investigation was underway to determine if Shahzad had any connections to known terrorist organizations, Obama said. Authorities were reportedly able to trace the vehicle to Shahzad via the purchase from its previous owner.

The Pakistani Foreign Ministry in Islamabad confirmed that the US ambassador has requested assistance in the investigation and pledged to fully cooperate.

'Our cooperation with the US against terrorism is a constant and ongoing process, and if the US needs our assistance on this particular issue we will do all we can,' the spokesman, Abdul Basit, said.

US Attorney General Eric Holder hinted that more arrests could be in the works as part of a sweeping investigation and vowed to bring anyone involved in the attempted terror attack to justice.

'This investigation is ongoing, it is multi-faceted and it is aggressive,' Holder said after confirming the arrest, before adding: 'It is clear the intent behind this terror attack was to kill Americans.'

The Pakistani publication DawnNews television reported that US authorities had provided information to officials in Islamabad about the suspect, who is from Karachi. Shahzad travelled to Karachi on an Emirates airline flight on July 3, 2009 and flew back on August 3, DawnNews said.

According to a report by NPR radio, Shahzad allegedly removed the vehicle's identification number from the windscreen, but not the engine. That led investigators to the car's previous owner, who described the buyer as a man of Arabic or Latin American descent.

Using a photograph that had been taken of Shahzad as part of his recent naturalization, investigators were able to positively identify him, NPR reported.

Police said the vehicle was loaded with petrol, propane gas tanks, fireworks and fertilizer.

Shahzad is among a dozen foreigners holding US passports and green cards who have been arrested over the last two years on suspected terrorism charges.